From Deseret News archives:
Anorexia not only in teens
Number of older women who seek help is growing
"I just kind of looked around and I thought, 'Oh, where is someone my age?"' recalls Smith. At age 31, she found herself face-to-face with teenagers and 20-somethings.
Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have long been considered diseases of the young, but experts say in recent years more women have been seeking help in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and older. Some treatment centers are creating special programs for these more mature patients.
Most of the women in this age group who seek treatment have had the problem for years, said Dr. Donald McAlpine, director of an eating disorders clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "The epidemiology is pretty clear that anorexia and bulimia both peak in the late teens, early 20s," yet "a lot of (patients) continue to be symptomatic right on through to middle life."
People who study eating disorders suggest several reasons there might be more women over 30 seeking treatment for what is typically a young woman's problem: growing public awareness, social pressure to be thin and an aging group of baby boomers.
In the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, Park Nicollet Health Services' Eating Disorders Institute saw 43 patients ages 38 and older in 2003 about 9 percent of its total patients. For the first six months of this year, the institute has treated nearly 500 patients 38 and older, about 35 percent of its total.
The Renfrew Center, a network of treatment centers in the eastern U.S., said about 20 percent of the 522 patients treated at its Philadelphia center in 2005 were 30 or older. In 2006, about 13 percent of the 600 patients were in that age group.
"Whatever this is if it's an increased awareness, if it's a response to being in midlife those numbers are staggering," said Carol Tappen, director of operations for the Eating Disorders Institute.
Women over 30 who seek treatment tend to fall into three categories, said Holly Grishkat, who directs outpatient programs at Renfrew.
Some have had an eating disorder for years. Others had a disorder in remission that resurfaced because of new stress in life, such as a divorce or loss of a parent. A third group, the smallest of the three, includes women who develop an eating disorder late in life.
Comments
- Former Ute Gross breaks right ankle 10:24 p.m.
- NBA roundup: Mavs halt Pistons 10:20 p.m.
- Pondexter leads No. 14 Huskies 10:17 p.m.
- Lakers booed at home in loss 10:16 p.m.
- Colts take advantage of Pats' gamble 10:13 p.m.
- Serbian Orthodox Patriarch dies 10:13 p.m.
- World datelines 10:12 p.m.
- French, Afghan troops face danger 10:12 p.m.
- U.N. may get plea to intervene 10:11 p.m.
- Photo: Rally in Honduras 10:10 p.m.
- BYU happy to escape with victory
228 - TCU creams U.
222 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
206 - Will state consider gay rights law?
149 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
133 - Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
131 - RSL heads to MLS title game
124 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - Celtics crush Jazz
104 - TCU stays 4th in AP; Y. 19th, U. 23rd
91
Maybe someone out there can help me understand how raising the state...
How do you handle kids and contests? Our oldest daughter, 7, is of the...
Bennett is a conservative Bennett is NOT a lifetime politician Bennett...
I agree, time for a change. Lose Sloan or lose the fans,,,,real soon.
im not some BYU posing as a Utah fan, im a huge Utah fan and hate seeing them...
I've followed BYU sports for over 50 years and was very excited by the '84...
CNN is hardly raw news free of analysis and without bias.
Playing lousy is never good. If it were, BYU would have been a monster after...
TCU's footballers aren't any better than BYU's or Utah's, but they are better...
Hey all of you 2A teams and fans. Is San Juan so predictable? Im not sure....
BYU has been up and down under the watch of Bronco. IF I hear them say "its...
Thank you Jerry Sloan for 20 years of coaching the Jazz. But it is time to...



You can be the first to comment on this story.